Released TRO abductees detained at Batticaloa Police Station

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 February 2006, 04:55 GMT]
The two female staff of Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), who were released on Monday by the abductors, are being held at Batticaloa Police station from 2.00 p.m. Thursday, TRO officials in Colombo said. When the two women, against threats to their safety, went to file a police report at the insistence of Government authorities, they were detained at the Batticaloa Police Station overnight against their wishes, and they are to be held at the Police station until officials of Sri Lanka Criminal Investigation Division (CID) arrive from Colombo, said TRO in a press release issued Friday.
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Anbu Illam student wins poetry prize

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 February 2006, 01:27 GMT]
A student from Anbu Illam, a children's home in Trincomalee, won the first prize of ten thousand rupees in an island wide-open poetry competition conducted by a Norway Tamil group. Miss Pakiyaluxmy, an GCE A/L Bio-Science student, received her prize money and savings book from Mr.S.Kumaraguruparan, Trincomalee District Deputy Director of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization. in a ceremony held at the children's home Thursday.
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Vavuniya traders face intimidation by armed groups- TNA MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 February 2006, 19:48 GMT]
"Traders of Vavuniya have brought to my notice that they have become the target of intimidation by unidentified armed groups. The anonymous callers have demanded ransom of cash over the telephone. I am also informed that these men are using mobile phone for this purpose," said Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Wanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian in an urgent letter to the Sri Lanka President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse.
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SLA ransacks, destroys LTTE Vadamaradchy political offices

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 February 2006, 16:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers cordoned off and searched central Vadamaradchy villages of Alvai, Vathiry and Karaveddy Thursday morning, sources from Jaffna said. During the house-to-house search operations SLA also ransacked and caused damages to the Liberation Tigers' Political office located in Vathiry area, sources added.
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SLA abduction of Kokuvil student averted

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 February 2006, 12:35 GMT]
Members of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna, Thursday morning were successful in forcing the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers from the 51-2 brigade in Jaffna to handover a student from Kokuvil who was illegally abducted while he was travelling with his sister in a motorbike along the Jaffna-Point Pedro Road near Jaffna town, sources in Jaffna said.
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SLA violates detainees rights- HRC

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 February 2006, 04:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers in Jaffna has grossly violated the fundamental rights of arrested Tamil youths by sending them to the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) in Colombo for interrogation without adhering to proper judicial procedures, said Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna Wednesday. In the past 45 days five Jaffna youths, presumed disappeared after arrests by the SLA, have been sent to the TID unit in Colombo, according to Jaffna Police.
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Tamil diaspora consortium welcomes US statement, calls for urgent action

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 February 2006, 13:13 GMT]
The International Federation of Tamils (IFT), a Geneva based consortium of Tamil diaspora organisations, in a renewed SOS call to the International Community on Wednesday, has warned that Colombo's denial of "any knowledge" of the abudctions of the humanitarian workers in the east, increased the risk of danger to the lives of the victims. The organisation has welcomed the statement issued by the US Embassy in Sri Lanka.
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Paramilitaries release two TRO workers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 February 2006, 11:54 GMT]
Two of the five pre-school teachers who were abducted by paramilitaries working with the assistance of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Sunday 8.00 p.m. were released unharmed and returned to their families in Batticaloa on Wednesday, TRO representatives in Batticaloa said. The fate of the remaining 8 persons abducted by the paramilitaries is not yet known.
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Traders call for hartal in Vavuniya Thursday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 February 2006, 11:39 GMT]
Vavuniya Traders Union has called for a complete shutdown (hartal) of all businesses, private and Government offices in Vavuniya on Thursday as a protest against the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for the escalating incidents of arrests, harassement and disappearances in the NorthEast, spokesperson for the Union said.
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TNA MPs walk out of parliament in protest of killings, abduction

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 February 2006, 06:07 GMT]
If Colombo continued to allow provocative incidents take place in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas of the NorthEast, the peace talks planned between the Government and the LTTE would be in jeopardy, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has warned the Sri Lankan Parliament Wednesday. "This is a calculated move to disturb the talks to be held in Geneva between the Government and the LTTE. We demand that the Government to act urgently in this matter and take appropriate action to save the dialogue," Mavai Senathirajah, TNA MP for Jaffna District told a press conference after walking out of the Sri Lankan Parliament.
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Sexual assault at Kopay SLA camp suspected, says TNA MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 February 2006, 02:25 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna district parliamentarian S Gajendran brought to the attention of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse that residents in Kopay strongly suspect sexual assaults on women are taking place inside a Kopay Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp, the parliamentarian told the local media, Tuesday. Several residents of the area had complained to the parliamentarian that they had heard a woman screaming for several minutes inside the camp at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
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Trinco SLA commander meets NGO representatives

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 January 2006, 16:51 GMT]
Maj. Gen. Tissa Jayawardene, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Sri Lanka Army in Trincomalee district Tuesday held a two-hour discussion with delegates of the international and national non-governmental organizations (INGO and NGO) regarding the ground situation and other related difficulties in taking forward the tsunami rehabilitation and econstruction work in the district. The discussion was held at the Tincomalee SLA headquarters located in Plantain Point in Orr's Hill, NGO sources said.
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Meeting with SLA constructive- Rights officials

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 January 2006, 11:20 GMT]
A delegation human rights activists led by Head of Human Rights Commission in Jaffna, Rohitha Priyatharsana, met with Commanders of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Palaly Military Camp Tuesday at 3.30 p.m. for nearly two hours, sources said. The discussions centered on issues related to increasing numbers of disappearances, arrests, and harassment to civilians caused by frequent cordon and search operations carried out by SLA in populated areas, sources said.
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SLA cordon, search Thumpalai area

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 January 2006, 10:26 GMT]
Lourdes Mary Catholic Church area in Thumpalai, Point Pedro was cordoned off and house-to-house search conducted by more than 500 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, sources from Point-Pedro said. Residents of the area were not allowed to getout of their houses and vehicular traffic was blocked from entering or leaving the area during the search operation.
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Chulipuram student missing, familes continue to flee Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 January 2006, 01:39 GMT]
Ramanathan Ratheeskumar, 20, from Chulipuram east and a student at the Vaddukoddai Technical College has disappeared after leaving home Thursday to attend school, said his parents in a complaint registered with the Human Rights Commision in Jaffna Monday, civil society sources said.
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Indian Air Force Chief arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 January 2006, 14:04 GMT]
The Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal S.P.Tyagi arrived Monday in Sri Lanka on a five-day official visit, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) officials in Colombo said. During his stay in Sri Lanka, he is scheduled to meet SL President Mahinda Rajapakse, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapakse, Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Daya Sandagiri and the commanders of the three forces.
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Rights commission to meet SLA officials in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 January 2006, 11:55 GMT]
A delegation of members of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) and other civil rights activists are meeting high level officials of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at the military head quarters in Palaly at 3.30 p.m. Monday, civil sources in Jaffna said. The discussions will center around the several disappearances in Jaffna district, and the attacks on civilians and journalists by the SLA soldiers, sources added.
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SLA soldier killed in accidental firing

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 January 2006, 11:44 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier, U.L. Thanuska, 30, was killed in an accidental firing incident Sunday at 5 p.m. at Uva Kudaoya area in Polannaruwa, security sources said.
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2948 places of worship destroyed in war, tsunami

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 January 2006, 16:02 GMT]
2948 places of worships of all faiths have been destroyed in the island due to two-decade-old war and tsunami disaster in the year 2004, according to the report prepared by the Resettlement Ministry. A sum of Rupees 2538 million is needed for the reconstruction of these places of worships, according to a report submitted by the ministry to the Cabinet, sources said.


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CTTU to raise troop presence near schools with Minister

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 January 2006, 15:47 GMT]
Mr.Susil Premajayanth, Minister of Education has invited the Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) for a meeting on February 7 afternoon to discuss its several demands including the demand that soldiers of the State armed forces should be withdrawn fifty meters away from schools in the northeast province, and also to vacate schools now occupied in the high security zones in Jaffna district. The meeting is to be held at the Education Ministry in Colombo, sources said.
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